Nanoarchitectonics of the cathode to improve the reversibility of Li–O2 batteries

Publication Name

Beilstein Journal of Nanotechnology

Abstract

The strategic design of the cathode is a critical feature for high-performance and long-lasting reversibility of an energy storage system. In particular, the round-trip efficiency and cycling performance of nonaqueous lithium–oxygen batteries are governed by minimizing the discharge products, such as Li2O and Li2O2. Recently, a metal–organic framework has been directly pyrolyzed into a carbon frame with controllable pore volume and size. Furthermore, selective metallic catalysts can also be obtained by adjusting metal ions for outstanding electrochemical reactions. In this study, various bimetallic zeolitic imidazolate framework (ZIF)-derived carbons were designed by varying the ratio of Zn to Co ions. Moreover, carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are added to improve the electrical conductivity further, ultimately leading to better electrochemical stability in the cathode. As a result, the optimized bimetallic ZIF–carbon/CNT composite exhibits a high discharge capacity of 16,000 mAh·g−1, with a stable cycling performance of up to 137 cycles. This feature is also beneficial for lowering the overpotential of the cathode during cycling, even at the high current density of 2,000 mA·g−1

Open Access Status

This publication may be available as open access

Volume

13

First Page

689

Last Page

698

Funding Number

NRF-2018R1A5A1025594

Funding Sponsor

National Research Foundation

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Link to publisher version (DOI)

http://dx.doi.org/10.3762/bjnano.13.61